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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

OECD Reports on Canadian and U.S. Higher Education

According to a report by the Organization for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Canada ranks first in percentage
of educated citizens followed by the United States. Fifty percent of Canadians,
forty-two percent Americans, and twenty-nine percent of the British have
degrees. The Canadian population is one of the most educated among the 34 OECD
and the nation s but at a higher cost.

Canada’s post-graduate degrees such as master’s
degree or doctoral degrees lag behind Korea and Japan. Younger Korean and
Japanese citizens are earning higher grades which mark a fundamental shift in
where higher education is being centered. With young Asians pushing hard to
achieve their goals they will become new sources of discovery and revenue.
There is little doubt as to the association of education with economic
activity.

The system found that those with higher degrees had
about a 5% unemployment rate while those who didn’t had an 11.7%. This helps
highlight the idea that education may reduce unemployment due to the
variability of skills. It is these skills and general understandings that
afford people the opportunity to find meaningful work.

It may also be an indication that manufacturing and
other physical labor positions are on the decline in first world nations. Cost
competitiveness of manual labor is lower in developing countries such as China
and India where North American companies would need to automate their
operations to achieve parity.

The report further indicated that 6.6 percent of
Canadian GNP went into education from kindergarten to college while 7.3% of
U.S. GNP went into education. The difference being that the majority of
educational monies went to higher income student populations than in Canada.
Even with higher U.S. monies American students ranked lower on international
tests.

American primary education was less developed than
other nations. The key years in a child’s education, which determines in many
ways their chosen paths in life, was lacking. It is possible that the declining
amount of students choosing higher education and overall competitiveness upon
graduation may be part of a general decline in national educational
achievement.

Fewer foreigners were coming to the U.S . for
education than in the past. They were opting to stay within their countries or
other places where the educational system more matches their needs. Europe was
the most popular place to get a higher education. The U.S. received only 21% of
the total foreign population when compared to Europe receiving 48%.

The report should act as food for thought for higher
education decision makers. The traditional educational system needs reform in
order to make it more effective. From early childhood development to graduate
school the system should be focused more on teaching methods that actually
enhance learning. It could consider the advantages of using virtual higher
educational platforms to reach out and recruit international students who can
study without having to leave their home countries.